iKnow It's 2AM
by Stoic Observer
Summary: "2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,/ "Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?/ I don't love him." Sam never told Freddie what she thought of him and Carly being together. Set after iSaved Your Life. NOT a songfic. NO Cam. Somewhat Seddie.


_**AN: This one-shot came to me when I washing dishes a few weeks ago and listening to my iPod. And I finally got off my lazy butt and wrote down the idea that has been bouncing in my head. NOT a songfic, though it was inspired by the opening lines in Anna Nalick's Breath (2AM). It goes: 2 AM and she call me 'cause I'm still awake,/ "Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?/ I don't love him.**_

It's late, but Sam is used to it.

Shadows fall on all the miscellaneous items in her room, caused by the street lamp on the curb. It's not too dark-that lamp it bright-since she can see the small cracks in her ceiling. She counts them from her bed for the thousandth time that night. Twenty-one cracks. It's something to do. They add even more character to her already personalized room. Imperfections are something she finds beautiful.

She has been staying up late for a while now. So late and so often that she's considering whether she's an insomniac. But she quickly discards that though. She knows why she can't sleep. It's been three weeks (twenty-one days) since she heard about the kiss that occurred between her two best friends. Since then, everything have come crashing down.

'_He did it,' _she thinks, rolling over onto her stomach to check the time._ '2 Am.'_

Freddie Benson finally got what he'd been dreaming about since he was nine, his perfect girlfriend, Carly Shay. They were the typical high school couple. Holding hands, well Carly holding Freddie's fingers that were poking out through his cast, in the hallways. Kissing goodbye before going to class. And always giggling and smiling when the other was around. It was disgusting.

Sam didn't even really see it coming. Freddie had seemed to moving on from Carly. He had a crush on Shelby Marx. He severely decreased the declarations of love for Carly. He had even refused to take sides when Carly and her were fighting, carrying on from Fleck and Dave's fracas. The first time Carly and her fought, two years ago, he wouldn't pull Carly's ponytail. She still thought that was completely unfair, and it proved that he was more on Carly's side. But it had been different that time.

He had been changing, but not enough apparently.

"Stupid nub," Sam mumbled. "I can't believe it's gone on this long."

It had been killing Sam. She had been doing something very unlike herself, keeping her opinion to herself. All the while hoping that one of her two best friends would realize that this was wrong. _They _were wrong. She had always meant it every time she had said that Carly would never love him. They just didn't match up right.

Freddie was too accommodating when it came to Carly. He gave her everything, agreed with everything she said or did, and would avoid any conflict that the two would or could ever have. That was just how their relationship worked. But Carly wouldn't want that. It wasn't real love. It was too perfect. She needed someone that wouldn't spoil her. And who would make her discover more about herself. She couldn't do that with someone that wouldn't fight back, push as hard as he pulled.

"…Five…Six…Seven…" she was back to counting cracks. "Eight…Ni-"

Sam's cell phone rang.

"Weird…" she thought out loud, reaching over to her night stand where her red, flip phone lay. The display window read _Carly Shay_. Confused, she answered the call. "Carly?"

"Sam! Thank God, you're awake," Carly's voice sounded from the listening holes of Sam's cell. "I need your help."

At that Sam sat up, already scanning her room for shoes in case Carly needed her to rush over.

"What happened?"

"It's about Freddie." Sam's breath caught in her throat. "I don't love him."

Exhale.

'_I know_.'

"But you looked all googley eyed at him today when he left for dinner. What changed your mind?"

Sam could hear her best friend breathing. She was probably thinking of a way to explain herself.

"I wasn't all googley eyed-"

"Sure."

"-I was just smiling. And I've been thinking about this for a while now. It's just not there."

The corners of Sam's mouth started to pull upwards. She was so happy. But for the sake of Carly needing to vent, she played along. She was sure Carly wouldn't want to hear her I-told-you-so attitude (even though she hadn't told Carly anything)so late at night, or early in the morning.

"What's not there?"

"You know, that thing in movies when the girl falls in love, she feels, like, magic? Some kind of spark, that makes you feel like he's the only guy out there? I just don't feel it with Freddie." Carly sighed. "I still see him as my friend. What should I do?"

'_Leave it to Carly to relate movies to real life_.' Sam thought. '_Oh well. Whatever gets the job done_.'

"End it," Sam replied bluntly. She had been wanting to say that for a while now.

"I know I should, but…I don't want to hurt him."

This annoyed Sam greatly. Carly was being…_Carly_. Too sweet for her own good. "Don't waste your time on him if you know that it will never go anywhere."

"But-" Carly tried to argue before she was interrupted.

"Carly, you wanted my help, and that's what I'm giving you. You know you have to end it, so don't try to reason your way out of it."

"Fine. You're right, I have to end it. But I won't quote you on any of that."

Finally, Sam's worries could be put to rest. And now she could sleep easily. She could feel herself beaming.

"Whatever. But at least it won't be hard. You've rejected him so many times before, this one will be a piece of ham."

Carly giggled. "That's not nice."

"But it's true."

"I know, but still. Thanks for listening to me, so late at night," Sam could hear the smile in her voice. "You're the best. Goodnight, Sam"

"'Night, Carls."

With her phone closed, Sam sunk back into her sheets, ready to catch up on all the sleep she had lost. Wrapping her giant blanket around her body, she drifted off to a land of fried chicken, ham, and ribs. Wonderful, food dreams would be quite refreshing from all the ceiling cracks she had been counting.

* * *

In the dead of the night, which was really 2:27 AM, Sam's phone went off again. This time it was a text message.

_Freddork Benson: It wasn't like I thought it would be. I'm breaking up with her. You were right, Puckett._

The sleeping Sam, however, didn't see the message until she woke up for school five hours later. She was smiling all day long, which actually scared a few people.


End file.
